In a shock move at the end of the latest episode of Higurashi When They Cry: Gou, Studio Passione has announced that a season 2 by the name of ‘Sotsu’ is on the way!
When a Higurashi anime remake was first announced, many fans (including myself) couldn’t believe that 07th Expansion’s original sound novel was being given another chance at adaptation, therefore hopefully overcoming the mistakes of the past. And now we’re being given even more!
Titled Higurashi When They Cry: Sotsu, this second season of sorts is actually scheduled for July, meaning that we won’t have to wait long to see what happens after that killer cliffhanger ending. There is reason to believe, however, that this won’t be another full set of 24 episodes: Gou was actually recently listed on one Japanese broadcaster’s website as being 36 episodes, meaning that this is most likely the remaining 12. Still, another cour is more than welcome.
ひぐらしのなく頃に業
🔪第２４話🔪
「郷壊し編 其の七」TOKYO MXとBS11にてご覧いただきましてありがとうございました。
改めまして
「ひぐらしのなく頃に卒」７月より放送開始となります。ひぐらしのなく季節にまた皆さんにお会いできるのを楽しみにしております。#ひぐらし業 #ひぐらし卒 pic.twitter.com/bCssjJKKdc
— TVアニメ「ひぐらしのなく頃に業」完全新作⛩絶惨放送中⛩ (@higu_anime) March 18, 2021
If you put the two kanji for Higurashi Sotsu (卒) and Gou (業) together, you get sotsugyou (卒業) or ‘graduation.’ This could suggest that we might actually see Rika and Satoko graduate from St. Lucia’s Academy in this second season, despite all the trouble they’ve faced so far. Alternatively, it could refer to a ‘graduation’ of these characters, meaning that they won’t appear in TV anime again. The possibilities are endless.
Regardless, the point is that more Higurashi is coming, and that can only be a good thing. One of my main concerns as Higurashi Gou careened towards an ending was that there was so much left unexplained and so many characters left undeveloped, but Higurashi When They Cry: Sotsu might help rectify that. Plus, we might get that fabled Umineko anime remake at the end of it, if we offer our prayers to Oyashiro-sama right!
Higurashi When They Cry: Sotsu, the second anime season of Higurashi When They Cry: Gou, will air this July. Presumably, it’ll be on Funimation.